Process for making wood everlastingly flexible



M. HANEMANN PROCESS FOR MAKING WOOD EVERLASTINGLY FLEXIBLE Filed April24 1.920

Patented June 5, 1923a rarest oerica.

MAX HANEMANN, or MUNs'rER, GERMANY.

PROCESS FOR MAKING WOOD EVERLASTINGLY FLEXIBLE.

Application filed: April 24, 1920. Serial No. 378.427.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAX HANEnArIN, a citizen of the German Republic,residing at Munster, i. W., Germany, have invented certain newxanduseful Improvements in Processes for Making \Vood Everlastingly Flexible(for which I have filed applications, Germany, PatentNo. 324728 ofNovember 24, 1917; Switzerland, Patent No. 318197 of November 24, 1917;Denmark, Patent No. 24476 of. April, 24, 1918; England, Patent No.131128 of August 10, 1918; Italy, Patent No. 170115 of November 29,1918; Canada, Patent No. 194601 of December 9, 1919;

Finland, Patent No. 7213 of February 15,

1919; Holland, Patent No. 5093 of September 30, 1918; Norway, Patent No.30474 of September 26, 1918; Austria, Patent No. 80815 of August 1,1918; Sweden, Patent No. 48234 of September 26, 1918; Turkey, Patent No.3027 of 12th May, 1920; Hungar-y, Patent No. 77250 of November 23,

1918; Belgium, Patent No. 273613 of July 26, 1918; France, Patent No.517783 of October .7, 1918; Roumania, Patent No. 5229 of February 21,1918; Czechoslovakia, Patent No. 6675 of June 1-0, 1920; and Poland,filed May 19, 1920), of which the following is a specification.

It has long been known that wood could be softened by moisture and heatand where so softened become flexible when in-pieces having suchproportionate cross sections as to be susceptible of being flexed, butwithout further treatment such flexibility decreases as the moisture andheat are withdrawn.

It is the purpose of this invention to produce a permanent conditionwhich will cause.

a lasting flexibility.

To this end the wood after being duly softened by heat and moisture issubmitted to pressure endwise of the grain or longitudinal fibres of thewood until such fibres are crinkled or forced into' folds orcorrugations, and such pressure is maintained until the wood is cool anddry.

In the accompanying drawing in which the figures are diagrammaticalillustrations of a longitudinal section ofthe wood after treatment, thecrooked lines indicating the fibres of the wood.

Fig. 1 shows a straight piece of wood with all the fibres similarlycrinkled or forced into folds, and

Fig. 2 shows a like piece of wood which has been bent to a curve withthe fibres on one side of the longitudinal axis still crinkled, whilethose on the other side of said axis are to some extent straightened,illustrating how the crinkling of the fibre facilitates bending bypermittingthe outer or tensionedside of the bend to stretch by the straihtening on that side of the crinkled fibres. bviously this capacity forstretching increases the flexibility of the wood.

Ofcourse the actual susceptibility to bendingof a piece of the wooddepends in part upon its proportionate cross sections, and this Wlll bedetermined in great part by the use to which it is to be applied, but mytreatment may be applied to lumber either before or after dimensioningfor its final use, although in the latter case, of course, there must beprovision to prevent the pressure endwise of the fibre from undesirablydistorting the shape of the piece of wood being pressed, but thereshould not be such pressure laterally of the fibres as to cause thecrinkled fibres to interlock.

In order to produce the desired pressure any ordinary press maybe used,but in order to maintain the wood in the desired condition the moistenedand softened wood may be placed between plates arranged across the endsof the fibres and put therewith into the press, and after suitablepressure has been applied the plates maybe connected and secured, andwith the wood clamped between them removed from the press and set asideuntil the wood has fully cooled and dried. a

I am aware that wood has been pressed or squeezed to flatten it and toexpress the saps and gums, and to pack its fibres laterally, andpossibly its flexibility has been increased, and also that it has beencompressed more or less in all directions soas to distort and compact.the fibres and cause them to interlace, thus hardening and tougheningit, but without, so far as I aware, increasing its flexibility.

I claim Y The process of making wood lastingly 5 flexible, whichconsists in softening Wood by heat and. moisture, as by boiling orsteaming, and While so softened compressing it endwise of thelongitudinal .fibres so as to crinkle or corrugate the latter butyvithout distortion of the piece of wood as 10 a, Whole, or sufficientside pressure to laterally interlock the said fibres In testimonywhereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

